To store large amounts of data, magnetic tape drives and magnetic tape are commonly employed. By way of example, a user may insert a magnetic tape cartridge, which includes a cartridge reel with magnetic tape wound around it, into the magnetic tape drive. Subsequently, the magnetic tape from the cartridge reel may be threaded through the drive and wound onto a take-up reel. As the take-up reel rotates, it unwinds the magnetic tape from the cartridge reel and winds the tape onto the take-up reel.
In some magnetic tape drives, the cartridge reel and the take-up reel may rotate in opposite directions with respect to one another during operation. For example, the cartridge reel may rotate in a clockwise orientation, whereas the take-up reel may rotate in a counter-clockwise orientation, or vice versa. Divergent winding directions may cause inconsistent spooling or packing of the magnetic tape on the take-up reel, for example. This inconsistency may lead to tape spoking, which are radial ripples on the surface of the wound tape. In turn, tape spoking may cause lateral motion of the tape as it is routed through the drive, leading to edge damage of the tape. Edge damage may lead to loss of data and a reduction in the performance of the tape drive.